A Fallen Hero
by Skelakitty92
Summary: Sasuke thinks back to a time when his brother had fallen ill for the very first time.


"I'm home!" A high-pitched voice called out while walking through the door, kicking his sandals off in the process. It was unusually quiet for some reason. Plus he didn't smell anything delicious cooking from the kitchen. Has that ever happened before? His mother was always making dinner whenever he came home from the academy. It was almost as if no one was home. If not, then where did they all go? And why didn't they tell him beforehand? He set his bento box down on the couch and looked around some more. Well this was rather disappointing. To rush all the way over here, only to be greeted by literally no one.

That was, until he heard someone coughing in the other room. "...?" Sasuke blinked a few times as he tried to listen for it again. Wasn't he the only one here? That's what he thought at least. Looks like he was wrong after all! Someone else was definitely here. His cheeks puffed out as he pouted. For being as little as he was, he had no idea how to prepare himself a meal. Unless he found something very simple, like vegetables. But he would prefer to have something more fulfilling after having such a long day like today.

His little feet padded against the wooden floor, as he made his way down the hallway. All of the doors were closed except for one: His brother's. Those large, onyx-colored eyes of his widened when he realized what this meant. Itachi was home! Oh how excited this made him feel, as he was now running on over to his bedroom. This meant that they could do something together, like train! Well that was what he always begged him to do. However, he never seemed to have the time for it. Maybe this time would be different though!

That was, until he saw what was going on. His mother sat on the edge of his bed while placing a damp rag on his brother's forehead, a worried look on her face. Sasuke just stood there, watching as she placed a hand on his chest and lightly patted it. On his lap sat a tray with all sorts of stuff on it. A bowl of something steaming, which was most likely soup. A packet of crackers, and a tall glass of orange juice. And...was that a package of cough drops too? This all seemed way too familiar not too long ago when he came down with a stomach bug. He was forced into staying in bed all day long! "..."

Mikoto leaned in to kiss her son's cheek. "It has been a long while since you were sick..." This is what happens when you push yourself too far. She knows he has been doing too much, but it wasn't up to her to decide on what he does and doesn't do. It was her husband who kept on pressuring him into going on all of those missions, now that he was a part of the ANBU and all. If only he wasn't being forced into doing so much at once, then this never would have happened.

A soft smile formed on his lips. "It's okay, mother. I'll be fine..." His voice was quiet as he said this. Not only was his throat sore, but he also had a stuffy nose and kept on sneezing. Plus his entire body ached, as he was huddled underneath a couple of blankets just to keep warm. But even that wasn't doing much good at this point. Plus he could sense a certain someone standing in the doorway, and didn't even need to see who it was. It was that time of the day anyways, so it was very obvious. His gaze drifted over to the little boy, as he reached a hand out to motion him on over.

"...!" Sasuke felt his heart sink at the look on his precious nii-san's face. He looked terrible! His skin was paler than usual, and his eyes...it was like he was about to pass out at any minute. They all knew it wasn't going to be that easy though. It was often hard to sleep when you felt like complete crap. Still, he listened to his demand and shuffled on over to the bed, clasping his hands behind his bed as he stared at the floor. What should he even say? He felt disappointed that he was sick, and wouldn't be able to do anything with him today. Now he got all excited for nothing! But despite this, he was worried about him though.

Itachi let out a small cough, using his arm to cover his mouth. Last thing he wanted to do, was use his hand and then touch everything afterwards. He really didn't want to give anyone else what he has. It really has been a long time since he has gotten sick like this...and he absolutely hated it. "Welcome home, otouto..." He rasped, urging a smile at him. Seeing his brother did make him feel a little better, knowing that he needed his energy and excitement right now in order to remain happy.

How can he smile like that? This confused the younger Uchiha greatly, as he just stared at him now. Never has he seen someone so strong in such a weakened state. Wasn't his brother supposed to be the strongest person ever? How did someone of his caliber fall ill like this, when everyone praised and looked up to his strength and abilities? Just what happened that caused this to happen? He wanted to hurt the person who got Itachi sick like this. Obviously it was passed onto him on purpose, because otherwise he would have been fine. His brother was the definition of perfect, after all.

"I will leave you two alone. Your father will be home soon, and dinner isn't even started yet..." Mikoto stood up and gave her other son a kiss on the forehead, also welcoming home. Then she made her way out of the room so that she could go back into the kitchen. Hopefully her husband will understand the delay once he gets home form a long days work with the other clansmen. It's not like their son asked to get sick like this. But now that Sasuke was home, maybe he could keep Itachi's mind off of feeling this way. She giggled at the mere thought of him talking his ear off, since he can't just go somewhere else now.

Sasuke got closer to the bed and hesitated for a moment, before crawling on top of it. Since their mother had to leave, now it was his turn to take care of him! He will make him feel all better in no time. "Eat your soup, nii-san." He grabbed the spoon and dipped it into the hot liquid, blowing onto it to help cool it down a little. It was just a simple broth with some vegetables and beef in it, but oh did it smell good! Their mother sure did know how to cook such delicious-tasting foods!

Itachi couldn't help but chuckle as he just laid there, watching as he did this. What, was he going to spoon-feed him now? He was perfectly capable of doing that on his own...but he didn't say that out loud. "Looks like I have Dr. Sasuke to my rescue, huh?" It was highly amusing to think of it that way, since he wasn't doing anything different than what their mother was doing. It was still pretty cute to play along though.

His little hand reached out to press the spoon against Itachi's lips, a serious look on his face. "I gotta make nii-san feel all better!" Who else was going to train him? Also, it wasn't fun just sitting here and watching your most precious person suffering like this. Their father probably wasn't going to be happy about this. He tried not to think of that, knowing it would only put him in a bad mood.

"..." He opened his mouth and leaned forward, just enough so that he could take the soup from him. Even their mother wasn't doing this, as she knew that he could pick up the spoon himself. It's not like he was _that_ weak. But Sasuke's happiness really was his own. Swallowing the hot liquid, he reached out to ruffle his short, spiky hair. His own was out of its usual ponytail. It wasn't all messy though, as he has just been sitting up against the headboard like this all day. He just wasn't feeling tired, but knew he had to relax instead of being out and training, or going on missions. So what if their father gets upset? People didn't choose to get sick like this on purpose, so it isn't his fault at all.

But before he could open his mouth to speak, that's when a cracker was then shoved against his lips once again. "...?" Itachi glanced down at it and just stared for a moment, before letting out another chuckle. Guess this is something that he was going to have to get use to for now. He bit down on the cracker and chewed on it. To be honest, he was just content with spending time with him. They hardly get the chance to see each other, let alone hangout. If it were up to him, he would definitely train him to become stronger! But he was stuck between his clan and the village right now, being stuck by them ordering him around constantly. Guess this is what caused him to fall sick in the first place- was the stress.

Sasuke didn't need to know this though, for it would only worry him that much more, and that was the last thing he wanted right now. He wanted him to remain his happy and bubbly self for as long as possible... Before he was tainted by the real world just like himself. He was so pure and innocent right now, that he wished he could stay this way forever! "Don't you have homework to do?" He teased. Even so, he could always help him do it if he was struggling. Their parents usually try to push them to do everything on their own, so they always had to do their homework the best they could on their own and hope for the best. But since they were in his bedroom, they didn't have to know about this one time.

The little boy pouted. "Let's not talk about that, nii-san. We need to focus on getting you better!" There he went again with preaching about making his illness just magically disappear by feeding him and taking good care of him. If only it were that simple... He crammed the rest of the cracker into his mouth and grabbed the orange juice next, moving the straw so that it was facing his mouth.

"You know father won't let you skip tomorrow..." That was a huge nope in their household. The only way you got out of doing something here, was if you were as sick as he was. Even if you had a small cold, you were expected to still do your best as a shinobi. But with as terrible as he felt right now, it just wasn't possible.

Sasuke picked up the spoon and dipped it back into the soup, this time getting a piece of carrot along with it. This did look really good, but he was going to save his appetite for dinner. His brother probably won't be able to eat what they were all eating, but that was fine. This still seemed to be just as good as anything else. It sure smelled delicious, that's for sure! "Hmph! Father doesn't let me have any fun..." He muttered with that pout still visible. The man was very strict on them both. Has he ever even smiled before? Because he couldn't recall a time when he has.

Itachi smiled a little. "He just wants the best for us..." It was really because they were from such a strong and powerful clan, that all of the children were expected to do their very best and to make their parents feel proud of them. You were viewed as a failure if you didn't even activate your sharingan... But he just knew that Sasuke would someday. He has the potential to become something great someday! And he probably won't even need his help in achieving it either...

"I know..." He sighed. It still sucked being under that amount of pressure though. It always felt like whatever he did just...wasn't good enough for their father. Never has he seemed proud in the things that he did, for he wasn't naturally talented and gifted like his brother was. Why did he struggle so much to do simple tasks that every Uchiha knew how to do? It just wasn't fair. That didn't mean he was ready to give up though!

He opened his mouth each time the spoon was pressed against his lips, accepting the soup every single time. Even when that was gone, there were still the crackers to finish. It seems as though their mother made him the right thing, since it was all going down smoothly. Before it did feel like he was going to throw up, but now he just felt nice and full. They both may be under a lot of pressure by their clan, but at least they still had each other. And hopefully they will never have to be separated. Because if that were to happen, the one would probably fall into a deep depression. Nothing would be the same anymore, since they have been together for so long now. He would miss those little arms of Sasuke's being flung around his waist every time he came home.

Once everything on his tray was finished, he set it on his bedside table and laid down on his side. His eyelids were beginning to grow heavier ever since he started eating all of that food. Guess that was something he needed right now. And a nap will probably help him feel even better! "Dr. Sasuke was successful after all..." He winked, patting the spot next to him. Like all of those other nights where it was storming outside, he was willing to share his bed with his precious otouto.

Sasuke crawled underneath the covers, slowly scooting closer to him. He knew better than to get too close though, as he would only wind up getting sick too. "Of course I was, nii-san! I told you I would make you feel better..." He stated proudly, that adorable little smile appearing on his face now. It always seemed to brighten up his brother's mood, even though it was such a simple expression.

Itachi draped an arm around his small body and pulled him much closer towards his body. Now he was laying against his chest, which he didn't mind at all. He actually appreciated his body heat, as he still felt cold. "Well thank you. Thanks to you, I will probably feel completely better the next day..." He smiled even more at him. His hand gentle stroked at his brother's back as they laid there in silence for a while. It was nice spending such quality time with someone who he loved deeply. Even when his mother was carrying him inside of her, he would always rub her belly and talk to it. But he knew the tiny baby inside could hear his voice.

But he never got better. What a liar...

The rain poured heavily as thunder shook the ground, a crack of lightening shooting across the sky off into the distance. Only a small child would feel frightened over such a storm like this...but not an adult. A tall figure stood in front of the crumbled Uchiha stone tablet, his hand reaching out to run his fingertips along the edges of the symbol. How many years has it been since that battle against his brother? It feels like it was just yesterday that he lost him. That was the day he watched him fall and never get back up. Itachi died with a smile on his face that day, and even when being resurrected by the edo tensei, he still managed to hold the exact same expression. It was like he was at peace with finally having told him the truth about his past, and what he all had to go through. Now looking back on his childhood, he finally realized that the signs were definitely there.

Sasuke couldn't tell before, but he was always hurting. The raindrops rolled down his face as he just stood there staring ahead of him. This was the perfect opportunity to hide the tears that were being mixed in with them, completely hiding all of the pain he was feeling in his chest right now. Now he knows that is brother was always sick, but just never told anyone about it. Even if the massacre hadn't of happened, he still would have lost him eventually. So that wasn't the first time that he has fallen ill like that. Everyone in the Akatsuki were probably onto him towards the end there, as it was getting harder for him to hide it from them all.

"...Papa?" A voice called out from behind him, as a hand reached out to tug on his long black cloak. He has been very quiet ever since arriving here, and she still had no idea why they were at such a place to begin with. It was obvious that the symbol before them belonged to their clan- The Uchiha. But even at her age, she still didn't know much about her father's side. Having been gone for so many years, he was finally back home and was going to stay for good. If only she knew just how important she was to him, being she was the only living relative he had left. Sarada was the start of redeeming his fallen clan, and she didn't even know it. She was clueless.

"We lost a hero that day..." The older Uchiha murmured. "A hero who protected Konoha within the shadows. He gave up his family, his clan, his very life...all to make sure that the village would stay at peace. There will never be anyone like him again...and no one even knows of it, and they never will. That hero was your uncle..." Suppose now was the time to tell his own daughter of his past. This was the most fitting place to do so. Now was his chance to pass down his knowledge onto her, and of the man who he still mourned over. The very person who lost his life just underneath his feet...

Uchiha Itachi.


End file.
